Shadows Of The Moon

NOSTALGIC MOMENT

We were enjoying our hot coffee while sitting in the kitchen, watching the beauty of the midnight moon from the window. He thanked me for the coffee and gently noted that he had noticed me staring at the sky. Suddenly, he asked what it was, that I liked so much about the moon.

(My connection is not with the moon, but with the person who loved it), Galassia thought.

I replied to him, "Someone once told me there is nothing as kind as the moon. It burns for the lonely nights and provides light for darkened hearts."

Hearing that line, I froze. I remembered telling her those exact words in the garden years ago.

Does she really remember me?

Should I reveal my identity right now?

I felt far more nervous now than before, having hidden the truth from her for four days. Unsurprisingly, this "Mr. Investor" was so unimportant to her that she hadn't even bothered to ask for his real name yet.

After finishing our drinks, we both went back to bed.

TO THE HILLS

This morning, James asked if I was free tonight. He and Charlotte were going to look at furniture sets for their new house after signing their marriage certificates in the afternoon. Afterward, they planned to head to the nearby hillside for a night of camping with all of us.

Charlotte had told James about my new relationship with Enzo, so he insisted that I bring him along.

The furniture they chose looked wonderful, and the paint colors were lovely. We all shared some evening snacks and rested while waiting for Mr Investor to arrive so we could head out to the campsite.

While admiring their new house, a sudden feeling washed over me. I wondered what our own home would look like one day so warm, cozy and filled with our things. I deeply wished for that day to arrive soon when I would be together with him.

When I returned and saw her admiring the house like that, I wondered the thing. Will we one day have our own home, full of love and happiness? We could make up for all the long, agonizing years apart, and I would never leave your side for a single second.

We headed up the hill, carrying all our camping necessities. While climbing, a mesmerizing moment occurred. The others had hiked ahead quickly, leaving me a bit behind. I noticed a cherry blossom tree in full bloom and walked toward it. A gentle breeze blew, scattering the petals from the cherry blossom tree and creating a hazy, cloud-like image in front of me. For a split second, I thought it was him, my Celio.

My contentment faded when Mr Investor stepped out from behind the swirling petals; he had come back down the trail to guide me to the campsite. Soon, the night sky filled with stars, and the moonlight made our faces glow. We cooked juicy steaks over the fire, which were absolutely delicious, and played some games together. James and Charlotte shared their relationship history and then asked Enzo and me about our story. I dodged the question and walked away to get some fresh air, stopping not too far from the group.

Mr investor followed me. He asked if I had ever truly loved someone and if I knew what love really meant. Since he didn't mention Enzo, I answered honestly: "Love is a quiet, a lifelong longing. I guess, It's a childhood dream that refuses to fade with adulthood. It is the art of keeping a porch light burning through decades, even knowing no one would come."

The others called us back before we could say anything more, and we went to sleep. It turned out to be a very long night, as the vivid memories of Celio kept sleep at bay.

She had told me that her definition of love stemmed from childhood. If that is true, why is she with Enzo? Does she know him from her past, or does she meant me by it and is waiting for me just as I am waiting for her? These racing thoughts completely shattered my inner peace.

(Neither of them could sleep, in their separate space and the heavy silence of a love they had never dared to name. Childhood sweethearts grew up into adults, they flipped their pillows and turned from side to side, but their past is chasing them like a ghost. The weight of present silence felt heavier. The choice to finally speak or to keep suffocating secretly in their minds, keeping sleep at bay as the midnight hours was choking them in pure longing.)

A NEW MORNING OR A DARK NIGHT

When I woke up and looked for her, James informed me that Galassia had urgent business to attend to and had left early in the morning. Shortly after, the rest of us headed back to the city.

When I arrived at her house, her mother told me that Galassia had taken her morning Taekwondo classes and then left for a two days trip. She would only return on the day of the contract signing. No one seemed to know exactly where she had gone.

I informed her mother that my nearby villa was finally ready and that I would be moving my things out by noon. She insisted that I shouldn't leave before having lunch, and I agreed. Her mother and I had formed a close bond over the last few days. With her husband out of the house, she quietly took me to Galassia's room to show me her artwork.

Most of her paintings vividly depicted the internal pain she had carried for years, showing how deeply she longed for me. No one was ever allowed in her room not even her parents but her mother confessed that she occasionally sneaked in. She explained that seeing this sad side of her daughter was the exact reason she kept forcing her onto blind dates; she desperately wanted Galassia to find someone who would stand by her side and make her heart free from her past love longing and truly smile from her heart.

Seeing this side of her made my heart ache terribly. It explained why she always seemed so detached; even around Enzo, she never looked genuinely happy. I asked her mother where she had gone, determined to track her down, reveal everything, and lay what my heart had felt all these years. Whatever her final decision might be, I was ready to face it. We couldn't go on living like strangers.

I wanted to make up for every single debt of her lonely days and nights, and erase every tear she had shed because of me. A moment later, I discovered from my James, she had traveled to her old childhood home. I immediately asked James to book the fastest train ticket available and handle the relocation of my belongings to my new villa. I was going to find her.

I took the partnership contract along with me, staring at it during the journey, wondering how she would react when she realized I was Celio.

I know that apart from the ten years of forced separation, I have added another week of unnecessary deception, and she has every right to resent me for it. But I will show her through my actions that I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to her. I wanted to return to her so much sooner, but guilt, fear, and a mountain of misunderstandings led us to this exact day.

Tonight, she will finally know that her Mr Investor is none other than her Celio.